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Das Bild zeigt einen Wald. Der Boden ist mit Laub bedeckt und durch Äste eines Tannesbaums kommen ein paar Sonnenstrahlen

Assisting the body in healing itself. Part 1

“On the path to holistic medicine – areas of research and the stress and relaxation response”

You are here: Home / English / Assisting the body in healing itself. Part 1
Das Bild zeigt einen Wald. Der Boden ist mit Laub bedeckt und durch Äste eines Tannesbaums kommen ein paar Sonnenstrahlen
(c) Christine Brameshuber

Januar 16, 2018 //  by lukas//  Leave a Comment

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn

With this article, I want to address the fact that there are many hard-working scientists, who are looking into how and using which mechanisms, bodies and humans can heal themselves. People I learned from about these issues on my healing journey are for instance Lissa Rankin with her book „Mind over medicine“, Kelly A. Turner with her book „radical remission“ and especially Jon Kabat Zinn and the work of the mindfulness based stress reduction clinic from the University of Massachusetts. Another book that was very important to me is “Biology of belief” by Bruce Lipton. These are just a few examples of people from the medical and scientific world that try to understand how healing works.

There are more and more physicians that apply scientific research on how and why practices of integrative or holistic medicine are working and how the medicine of the future could look like, apart from technical innovations. We learn more and more that behind healing traditions such as yoga, meditation, Reiki, traditional Chinese medicine, healing touch/body work or many other forms we can find comprehensible reactions and functions of our bodies.

Jon Kabat-Zinn (2013) says in his book „Gesund durch Meditation“ (German version of „Full catastrophe living“) that today’s modern western medicine and the western view of the world as a whole is based on René Descartes and the 17th century. Descartes differentiated between mind and body and shaped this idea of a separate mind and a separate body in a tremendous way. Up to that point and in many non-western societies this separation wasn’t as significant or totally unknown. Modern science-based medicine is focused up to this day to quantify bodily processes and therefore rejected healing methods such as Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, herbal medicine and the like for a long time. These concepts / traditions just didn’t fit into the world view and systems that academic medicine was founded upon.

Areas of research towards a holistic understanding of health

But also in modern medicine we can witness a paradigm shift. Humans are more and more studied as holistic beings, and also illness and health are looked at with this holistic lenses. In the last years Jon Kabat-Zinn talks about the following areas of research that give us new insights about how body and mind are interconnected and mutually influencing each other.

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity refers to the form ability of our brains. Until recently neuro-biologists thought that the brain doesn’t produce new cells after our third birthday and that the number of nerve cells decreases continually from that point on. This idea was disproved by latest science. Today the brain is seen as an organ that has an ability to learn and develop throughout our life.
Depending on our environment and its influences, it can develop in different ways. Many scientists investigate how the brain creates consciousness and how body and mind are connected. There are more and more studies conducted on meditation practitioners that show that regular practice of mindfulness meditation changes our brain activity and the neuronal connections. To put it simply, what we do, how we live our lives, is then also stores and “written” into the structure of our brain with varying amounts and concentration of nerve cells. I’ll write another article later, where I will go into detail a bit more. For lots of research material on mindfulness, you can look at the page of the “Center for Mindfulness – University of Massachusetts Medical School”.

Epigenetics

In Analogy to looking at the brain in a static way, for a long time there was a genetic determinism prevailing in main stream science. Our genes, the place where our genetic make-up and inheritable material is stored, were seen as fateful conditions. If gene x is present, then the probability to get illness x is this and that and so on and so forth.
But more and more researchers found out that also the genome is plastic / shapeable. They found that the environment and different environmental factors have a huge influence on which regulatory proteins are activated, that then “read” or “activate” genes or not. Genes could then be seen as books in a library. Which book is taken out and which page is opened, that power lies with the environment (Rankin). A researcher who went very much into the details of epigenetics is Bruce Lipton with his book “biology of belief”. The science of epigenetics tries to find out more on how our experiences, our learned thoughts, psychological and behavioral patterns as well as our life style influence the way our genes are animated/expressed or not.

Telomeres

Telomeres are parts on the ends of our chromosomes. They can be thought of like a cover or cap, like the plastic caps at the end of shoe laces. Telomeres play a role when cells divide and the get shorter with every cell division. They have a direct effect on the alteration of cells and thus our life span. The researcher Elizabeth Blackburn won the Nobel price of medicine for her discovery of the telomeres. She had shown that stress makes the telomeres become shorter more quickly. Jon Kabat-Zinn means that we can assume in reverse that mindfulness practice & meditation could slow this process down, as it improves stress management in people (2013, p.221).

~

Psychoneuroimmunology

Besides these three areas Jon Kabat-Zinn (2013) and the team of the stress reduction clinic of the University of Massachusetts work a lot with and on general research about stress and the field of psychoneuroimmunology. This field of medical science investigates the connections and influences of brain, nerve system and immune system. It is a very specific discipline that tries to explain how psycho social factors affect us on our physical level, the immune system and how healing processes take place in the body (p.212).

Placebo Effect

One question in this area of research is dealing with the so called placebo effect. A book I stumbled upon during my cancer treatment was “mind over medicine” by the American doctor Lissa Rankin. The book deals about holistic medicine and what factors contribute to healing. Lissa Rankin (2014) dedicates a whole chapter of her book to the placebo effect and shows that the belief of healing alone, also leads to physiological reactions in the body (p. 34 on). The book is very interesting, well written and I can recommend it to everybody interested in healing or going through cancer.

Another aspect she writes about struck me particularly. She shows that the interaction and the relationship between doctors and patients is tremendously important in the placebo effect. The doctor presents research that concludes that the attention, the valuation of the patient and so called “rituals of healing” are very important factors that activate self-healing powers and contribute to the placebo effect. She refers especially to the work of Ted Kaptchuk, who is an expert on the placebo effect and also gave a Ted talk about his findings.

The Stress an relaxation response

Much of this new research shows how stress is related to health and immunity. From my understanding of complementary/holistic medicine, meditation / mindfulness and healing in general as a cancer patient, is was very important to learn about these scientists and their work. A learning that was like a revolution or ground breaking insight was to learn about a very basic mechanism in our body, the so called stress and relaxation response. For a long time it is known that educating people about their condition or diseases is a powerful tool to engage patients into cooperation with doctors, commitment to therapy and increasing them to take an active role in their health. In the area of mental illness this is called psycho-education. In this sense learning about the stress and relaxation response was the most important psycho-education for me. More important than learning about what cancer is.

For this reason, I want to try to explain this mechanism more in depth in the second part of this article. It helped me more to understand rationally, that all of the things that I had done, like meditation, mindfulness and self-compassion practice do have a real effect on my body. But not only do I understand it better, I also felt for the first time that there are scientists and doctors out there that value these practices also from a medical point of view. Something that I had never perceived in this way from any of my doctors! It inspires me to keep up with my way of life.
Of course stress is not the only factor in health or disease. With all diseases multiple factors and complex processes or circumstances in the body and our surroundings come into play. However, I consider this as something very basic, fundamental and helpful and therefore will go more into detail in the next article!

Resources

Rankin, Lissa Dr. med (2014): Mind over medicine. Warum Gedanken oft stärker sind als Medizin. Kösel-Verlag, München, 3. Auflage
(English version: Mind over medicine. Scientific proof that you can heal yourself)

Kabat-Zinn, Jon (2013): Gesund durch Meditation. Das große Buch der Selbstheiliung mit MBSR, Knaur Menssana, München
(English version: Full catastrophe living. How to cope with stress, pain and illness using mindfulness meditation)

Ted Kaptchuk – on the placebo effect

University of Massachusetts Medical School – Center for Mindfulness

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  1. Assisting the body in healing itself. How does that actually work? Part 2 – Mindful Survivor sagt:
    Januar 16, 2018 um 1:39 pm Uhr

    […] (If you didn’t read part 1 of this article yet, click here) […]

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  2. Follow me on my journey as a queer cancer survivor – Mindful Survivor sagt:
    April 13, 2020 um 11:38 am Uhr

    […] influential people that helped me in my healing process. There are five main healing areas namely holistic medicine, mindfulness, mental health, physical health and […]

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[ Das Bild ist wieder ein Zitat von Daan van Kampe [ Das Bild ist wieder ein Zitat von Daan van Kampenhout. Darauf steht auf Englisch: "If you feel, that something is deeply lacking in your community, and you are convinced that this something is needed, then it becomes your spiritual task, to help manifest that."] 

I love those quote by a queer Jewish Shaman Dean can Kampenhout. He said that at an introduction meditation during one of my first stretch festivals, a festival for gay, bi/pan, trans* and queer men*, that was very central in my healing path and brought me to Berlin. 

This message empowered me to decide to write my story down as a gay queer-feminist, empath, spiritual  cancer survivor. 

I am also thinking a lot at this moment, how despite all the challenges with surviving cancer, I am simultaneously so privileged as a white, cisgender man and how much my existence is so welcomed and normalised in our global white supremacist system. 

I also read and think a lot about Buddhism, the mindfulness movements and how white they often are. I discover more and more black and brown Buddhist teachers or scholars, and other brown, indigenous, black and some white spiritual people combine and integrate their spirituality in social and healing justice work. 

And I know that this is my way as well. I often think back, how small my world became for several years, surviving this life threatening disease called cancer. And how long it took and still takes me to settle back into the "normal" world, that never was and is normal after all. 

I am so blessed that I regained my strength so that I have more confidence now to engage, make myself heard and contribute something to positive change. 

So yeah. I am curious how and when and in what form my story will manifest in a book. I want to tell a diverse and complex story for queers, survivors and mainstream folk. So let s see where this journey will continue. 

Since I am also struggling with depression since some time I remind myself and you. 

Don't give up! You, your story and contribution matters! We need everybody to fight together for liberation for all. 

Peace 

#cancersurvivorquotes
#testicularcancersurvivors
#shamanicwisdom
#transformation #yourstorymatters
[ The picture shows a screenshot of the social med [ The picture shows a screenshot of the social media app Phow. The titel says "introducing healingwithlukas, there is a picture of my meditating, with overlapping images] 

This is for my English speaking followers especially. I am happy to share here as well that since July I have my first small writing job for a super cool project. 

I write journals on the alternative social media app "Phlow". @phlowzone 

They enable a more mindful approach to social media, where you follow journals instead of people, so all is based on content, rather then a person or brand. They equally don't sell your data, to show you the right advertisements and encapsule you in your bubble. They really want to focus on the content, rather then, who screams the loudest, or buys the most likes and fake friends etc. 

Phlow is a really cool project and I love the philosophy behind it. Check it out, if you are interested! 

There I am writing about my journey in English in short and compact way. My introductory journal is finished, and right now I'm working on the next one, telling the story of how I got diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer 5 years ago. 

I am really starting to write and work for my book as well and will launch a patron page soon, where I will share manuscripts and snippets of chapters of my book on a monthly basis. Let's see how that goes. 

Thank you also for the encouraging feedback from many of you. It really motivates me to keep up and follow my insecure path as a writer and soon to be cuddle and touch provider! 

#mindfulness #mindfulsocialmedia #writersthoughts #gaywriter #gayblogger #cancersurvivors #cancersurvivorbook #cancersurvivorwarrior #testicularcancersurvivor #introvertsofinstagram #calmpower #writingistherapy #instagays #queercancersurvivor #journalingchallenge #artistsway
[ Das Bild ist der Zitathintergrund dieses Profils [ Das Bild ist der Zitathintergrund dieses Profils mit einem gold orangen Buddha Vorhang und einer Klangschale. Das Zitat ist auf Englisch] 

"To be is to interbe
You cannot just be 
By yourself alone 
You have to interbe 
With every other thing." 
- Thich Nhat Hanh - 

Who am I? Am I a cancer survivor? 
Am i a gay cis man? 
Why could I survive?
who or what healed me?
Who is this me? 
Am I my ideas? 
Am i only this body? 

I don't know anything anymore really. And that is great! The beauty of mindfulness and presence is that I learned to see constructs as constructs and see that I am connected to everything there is. 
I interam here because I didn't have to have 500.000€ in my bank account in order to pay for my medical treatment. 
I interam here because nurses and doctors washed their hands and hardworking cleaners kept my isolation chamber clean of germs. 
I interam also here because I was an active patient in the treatmemt and took care of myself the best I could. Meditating, body scanning, stretching, praying, walking daily. 

I interam also with the exploited child, who is forced to dug up precious earth for this smart phone, in which I type letters, forming this post.
I Interam with the factory worker in China, working a 60 hour week. 
I interam with the global neoliberal system,  in which miraculously I was born into the sixth of the global population living in the "first world".
 I interam with my mother who didn't drink alcohol during being pregnant with me, so my brain could develop in a way that I could learn to read write and express myself in several languages. 
I interam with the comfort of sitting in my cosy flat, that I might not have gotten if I was black or my name Turkish or "muslim". 

Everything is spiritual. Oppression also uses our ego, which thrives on separation and the sense and need for being special, different and separate. Oppression needs me to disconnect from others, nature, myself and my body. 
 It is possible to honour individuality and freedom, but remember that we all codepend and interare with other humans, our power- and social structures and this planet. 

#buddhistwisdom #thichnhathanh
#interbeing
#nonduality #empathsofin
[ das Bikd zeigt einen Screenshot des blogs mit de [ das Bikd zeigt einen Screenshot des blogs mit dem Titel zum Artikel: ethisches Statement] 

#cancersurvivorquotes #cancerblogger #krebsblogger #ethischeshandeln #ethik #wertermittlung #gayblogger #moralstory #gaysupportfeminism #gaysupport #schreiben #autorenschaft #introvertsofinstagram #infjquotes #infj #empathsofinstagram #hsp #hochsensibelglücklich #hochsensibel
[ Das Bild zeigt den Zitathintergrund mit Klangsch [ Das Bild zeigt den Zitathintergrund mit Klangschale und Vorhang mit Buddhamotiv. Im Textfeld steht: "von und mit den eigenen Werten arbeiten und schreiben."] 

Bei einem Aufenthalt in einem indischen Ashram habe ich einen Mensch kennengelernt, der mir erzählte, dass er irgendwann begonnen hat seine Werte aufzuschreiben.

Er hat dann beschlossen künftig nur mehr für Menschen, Projekte und Jobs zu arbeiten, die er mit seinen Werten in Einklang bringen kann. Oder zumindest zu merken, dass es wo hapert und dann zu versuchen, etwas zu tun, damit ein Einklang oder eine Annäherung passieten kann. 

Das fand ich faszinierend. Ich habe dann selber begonnen mir zu überlegen und aufzuschreiben, was mir eigentlich wichtig ist. Ich habe auch Menschen gefunden, die auf ihrer Homepage und professionellem Angebot so etwas, wie ein ethisches Statement verfasst haben. Z.b. @dawn_serra. Das hat mich inspiriert dies auch für meine Arbeit zu verfassen. 

Ich denke, wie es wäre, wenn dies mehr Praxis und normal wäre. Was würde anders Laufen? Wie oft haben wir gar nicht die Möglichkeit unsere Werte zu vertreten in diesem System. Welche kollektiven Werte dienen uns und welche dienen uns nicht mehr? 

Das finde ich sehr spannende Fragen, und vorallem meine Krebserfahrung hat meine Werte nochmal ordentlich verschoben und um Achtsamkeit, Embodiment und buddhistische Philosophie erweitert. 

Was sind deine Werte? Für dich und im Arbeitskontext? 

#werte #wertewandel #antikapitalismus #innereressourcen #moralphilosophy #moralphilosopher #spiritualqueers #spiritualitätimalltag #spirituellewerte #changeyourselfchangetheworld #valuesmatter #corevalues
[ das Bild zeigt einen screenshot eines Blogartike [ das Bild zeigt einen screenshot eines Blogartikels. Der Titel ist: Gedanken darüber eine Geschichte zu erzählen. ] 

Den Beitrag gibt es zu sehen auf www.healingwithlukas.com -> about -> Gedanken darüber eine Geschichte zu erzählen 

#chimanandangoziadichie #storytelling #cancerblogger #cancersurvivorquotes #krebsblogger #geschichtenerzählen #writerslife #schreibenschreibenschreiben #bloggen #storiesmatter #diversegeschichten #gayblogger #gayspirituality #gayspiritualwarrior
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